Evil Owners Club

PB Forum :: Evil
Evil Owners Club
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flag Abacall
O+
Posted: Sep 18, 2020 at 11:06 Quote
One of the things I like about the Wrecker is that they didn't go overboard with the geo. The reach is modern, but not long. The HA is slack, but reasonable enough to keep it from being floppy. The ST is steep, but no so much that longer arms can't get along with it. The BB is not so low that you pedal strike on everything, yet it still feels like it has a low CoG. The suspension is plush, but has lots of pop and a solid pedal platform.
Even with a coil, the Wrecker doesn't feel like a plow bike. It's nimble, for sure, for a 166 travel rig. To me it feels more like a long travel AM bike.
I recently flipped the links (not an easy task) over to x-low and dropped the spring rate by 25 (got a Sprindex on there). It made a significant change to the feel of the bike. Much more planted over fast, rough, and steep. Unfortunately, it lost some of the more nimble feel. But that's kinda what I like about it right now. I can flip the links, swap the spring rate, and have it change personalities.
I will say that it pedals well, but lacks the punch in acceleration some other bikes have (like the Spartan). I think it's mostly down to the weight of my rig, at 34 lbs. I toy with the idea of getting a 38 and dropping the Push 36, swapping in some Exo+ instead of DD, getting a lighter spring and shock... But then I ride it, and all that goes out the window. As soon as it's moving, it hides it weight.
As far as slow tech, I mean, that's just kinda skill based. Once you're used to the bike, your courage and skill are the only things holding you back on that.
flag monsieurgage
O+
Posted: Sep 18, 2020 at 12:11 Quote
That sounds like a north shore/sea to sky dream bike. I wonder if a sprindex is worth it? I would be new to coil and still jump and go to the park with my bike. I weigh 160lbs 72kg with pack so I'd get a spring that is 350-360 pounds, low end, and have 50 pounds to go up. Does the sprindex work better with fox vs rockshox?

With a full carbon bike do you match carbon bars and rims? Is that too stiff or carry too much vibration?

Have you played around with stem lengths and bar height and how does that affect the ride on the evil?


Abacall wrote:
One .......back on that.
flag newbermuda
O+
Posted: Sep 18, 2020 at 12:29 Quote
Oh on the topic of bars/wheels, different bars can be VERY different in stiffness. To this day if i don't ride my mountain bike often enough and then go for a ride, my enve m9 bar will practically rattle the hands off of my body. they're so freakin stiff, but if you get used to it theyre very direct and make me feel much more stable on the bike, whereas other carbon bars like deity or santa cruz offered more forgiveness but didn't feel quite as direct, if that makes sense.

because of that i will not use enve wheels cause theyre way too stiff, and reserve wheels are a bit more compliant as well as give me peace of mind about breaking one as their warranty is very easy going. we are one is supposed to be similar as well.
i also have blown up several sets of aluminum rims on rocks that have given me no trouble with carbon so id say carbon over aluminum for sure.

in terms of different stem lengths/bar height, i started with a 780mm, 20mm rise santa cruz bar and a 40mm stem, found that ride height was just too low and i felt very hunched over. so i got a 65mm deity stem and the 50mm m9 bar, feels more upright and stable, and the better positioning allowed me to get up to higher speeds on steeper trails. I'm sure it looks weird but it encourages me to ride even faster so that no one sees haha.
flag monsieurgage
O+
Posted: Sep 18, 2020 at 15:24 Quote
newbermuda wrote:
Oh .....sees haha.

I am confused when it comes to bar stiffness. I have tried only 35mm diameter alu, one raceface turbine and a chromag BZA. Some say alu is complaint compared to directionally stiff directional carbon others say carbon is weaved to soak up vibrations. One up bar looks nice though.

I personally like high rise bars (35mm c 50mm stem) but that is all i've known and i am on a shorter 460mm reach bike with an outdated 67 HA and 160mm travel for someone who is 6 foot. Hasn't stopped me and the few features I turn away from were highlighted in the new Remy/Steve collab video on PB so I feel like despite the bike I can still ride.

Still, drooling over an evil wreckoning. trying to imagine how riding gnar and deathtech will feel on a modern bike.

Does anyone think with bigger forks, e.g. the 38 and zeb, bike companies will shift head tube standards to something larger and stiffer? Match 38mm stantions with larger CSU and larger 1 1/2 headtubes?
flag Abacall
O+
Posted: Sep 18, 2020 at 16:07 Quote
I wouldn't be surprised if that was a thing soon. It's been a hot minute for manuf. since they're pushed a new standard...
As as far as matching carbon to carbon, as mentioned, it has very little to do with material choice. It has more to do with how it was made. I've been on Renthal, Oneup, Raceface, and Deity carbon bars. I'm 155 kitted (with water) so I'm looking for vibration damping as a primary benefit. The Oneup and Deity bars are comfy, and Renthal is a good middle ground. On the short travel bike I run Deity, the Wrecker gets the Renthal.
I've been on a bunch of carbon wheels, and AL... The problem I've had is that if the AL rim has a good feel, it tends to not be that great in reliability. With carbon, they tend to be stiff, sometimes not very compliant. WR1, SCR, and NOX have felt very similar to me, all of them being bombproof. This year I tried the Zipp Moto3 wheels, and they really are what you hear. Super good feel, look sexy, and damn strong. I've never felt a better wheel. **Keep in mind that I'm not that heavy, and wheels are all about the build. The best rim laced up wrong will feel like crap.
All of this, and bar/stem numbers, are all personal. Even if you have the same measurements and ride locale as someone else, I guarantee your preference will be different.
AND, once you find your preference, you'll think it's the best and everyone else just needs to try your shit and see the light. lol Smile
flag Abacall
O+
Posted: Sep 20, 2020 at 20:43 Quote
Wrecker is feeling good...

photo
flag jp-25
Posted: Sep 22, 2020 at 6:07 Quote
I own a wreck lb with a -1º angle headset and a 170mm lyrik on X-Low and that thing rips!, Im in ove with it, but I am thinking on doing an update and install a RS Zeb on 170mm as well. The issue is that the lyrik I own is a 51mm offset, and the ZEB only has a 44mm offset and I dont know if this will affect much, cause I am so much in love with my wrecker right now....
Does anyone have the same setting with a 44mm offset that can tell me his feelings?

Thanks all!!
flag newbermuda
O+
Posted: Sep 22, 2020 at 6:31 Quote
i remember another guy on here running 170mm 44 offset vs 160mm 51mm offset.

it is kind of annoying that all the new forks are coming out with the shorter offset. doesnt the new wreckoning come with a zeb? is that one 44mm as well?
flag jp-25
Posted: Sep 22, 2020 at 6:34 Quote
newbermuda wrote:
i remember another guy on here running 170mm 44 offset vs 160mm 51mm offset.

it is kind of annoying that all the new forks are coming out with the shorter offset. doesnt the new wreckoning come with a zeb? is that one 44mm as well?

Yes the new wreck comes with a ZEB, the thing is that the new frame is designed with a longer wheelbase, and I am pretty sure that it has been tested with that offset before getting into production
flag chriskneeland
O+
Posted: Sep 22, 2020 at 6:34 Quote
Te-remoto wrote:
I own a wreck lb with a -1º angle headset and a 170mm lyrik on X-Low and that thing rips!, Im in ove with it, but I am thinking on doing an update and install a RS Zeb on 170mm as well. The issue is that the lyrik I own is a 51mm offset, and the ZEB only has a 44mm offset and I dont know if this will affect much, cause I am so much in love with my wrecker right now....
Does anyone have the same setting with a 44mm offset that can tell me his feelings?

Thanks all!!

The shorter offset will increase the trail of the front tire, which will make the bike feel less twitchy. It'll feel more stable at high speeds and handle steep lines.

The only loss is going to be low speed turning, like steep technical climbs. But you're on a Wreck so enjoy the speed and go with the shorter offset.
flag CDT77
O+
Posted: Sep 22, 2020 at 6:39 Quote
Technically Chris is right - from the seat of my pants - I can't tell the difference in 6mm of offset as I have two DVO Diamond forks: one with 44mm offset the other with 51mm both 160mm travel. If I was you, I wouldn't sweat it that much. Although I've heard the latest greatest (be it 44mm offset forks or 157 super boost wheels) will get you more chicks. So there's that.. Beer

chriskneeland wrote:
Te-remoto wrote:
I own a wreck lb with a -1º angle headset and a 170mm lyrik on X-Low and that thing rips!, Im in ove with it, but I am thinking on doing an update and install a RS Zeb on 170mm as well. The issue is that the lyrik I own is a 51mm offset, and the ZEB only has a 44mm offset and I dont know if this will affect much, cause I am so much in love with my wrecker right now....
Does anyone have the same setting with a 44mm offset that can tell me his feelings?

Thanks all!!

The shorter offset will increase the trail of the front tire, which will make the bike feel less twitchy. It'll feel more stable at high speeds and handle steep lines.

The only loss is going to be low speed turning, like steep technical climbs. But you're on a Wreck so enjoy the speed and go with the shorter offset.
flag 50percentsure
Posted: Sep 22, 2020 at 10:19 Quote
xan-x wrote:
Just curious anyone got any news on when the Following GX builds will be back in stock?

Or any builds for that matter. It was up in March, then it sold through immediately and has basically been out of stock since.
flag fiftypercentsure
Posted: Sep 22, 2020 at 10:42 Quote
Bikemag.com put up a new Bible test review of the Following a few days ago if you haven't seen it. Nice to see someone else's opinion than Palmer the Fanboy.

Still mostly hyperbole though with lines like "It’s snappy and responsive like a BMX. Corners like a slalom bike. And climbs like an XC thoroughbred", but at least it's coming out of more than one testers mouth.

I wished they would have busted out the tape measure and angle finder, or discussed maintenance, or timed something, or looked at suspension kinematics, or measured...anything.

Discussing how the hypothetical published numbers ride then talking about how it's weakness is maybe it's TOO great is kind of becoming the Bikemag formula lol.

Doesn't change the fact that I want one, but for a concrete review might have to wait for MBR or Gearlab or Vital. Batman
flag Abacall
O+
Posted: Sep 22, 2020 at 11:36 Quote
CDT77 wrote:
Technically Chris is right - from the seat of my pants - I can't tell the difference in 6mm of offset as I have two DVO Diamond forks: one with 44mm offset the other with 51mm both 160mm travel. If I was you, I wouldn't sweat it that much. Although I've heard the latest greatest (be it 44mm offset forks or 157 super boost wheels) will get you more chicks. So there's that.. Beer

chriskneeland wrote:
Te-remoto wrote:
I own a wreck lb with a -1º angle headset and a 170mm lyrik on X-Low and that thing rips!, Im in ove with it, but I am thinking on doing an update and install a RS Zeb on 170mm as well. The issue is that the lyrik I own is a 51mm offset, and the ZEB only has a 44mm offset and I dont know if this will affect much, cause I am so much in love with my wrecker right now....
Does anyone have the same setting with a 44mm offset that can tell me his feelings?

Thanks all!!

The shorter offset will increase the trail of the front tire, which will make the bike feel less twitchy. It'll feel more stable at high speeds and handle steep lines.

The only loss is going to be low speed turning, like steep technical climbs. But you're on a Wreck so enjoy the speed and go with the shorter offset.

Agreed. Changing offset is part of the incremental changes that can be made, but when it's done on its own is hardly noticeable. When combined with other changes, such as an angle-set, stem length, bar geo, etc., is going amplify/subdue those other factors.

As far as switching forks, I think the much more noticeable change you're going to experience is the change in axle-to-crown between the two. That can totally alter the feel and geo. Check that out first.

Also, why are you changing? Is it worth it? Or would a solid service, maybe even the ACS3 kit, make the difference you're looking for? Newer isn't always better, and the ZEB isn't a crazy change over the latest Lyrik.
flag newbermuda
O+
Posted: Sep 22, 2020 at 11:42 Quote
mobiller wrote:
Bikemag.com put up a new Bible test review of the Following a few days ago if you haven't seen it. Nice to see someone else's opinion than Palmer the Fanboy.

Still mostly hyperbole though with lines like "It’s snappy and responsive like a BMX. Corners like a slalom bike. And climbs like an XC thoroughbred", but at least it's coming out of more than one testers mouth.

I wished they would have busted out the tape measure and angle finder, or discussed maintenance, or timed something, or looked at suspension kinematics, or measured...anything.

Discussing how the hypothetical published numbers ride then talking about how it's weakness is maybe it's TOO great is kind of becoming the Bikemag formula lol.

Doesn't change the fact that I want one, but for a concrete review might have to wait for MBR or Gearlab or Vital. Batman

I live where they did the testing and have ridden the same trails quite a bit. If they say it climbs well, theyre probably telling the truth; we have some pretty stupid climbs out here.
not sure why you expect so much from a bikemag review though, they only spend one day on the bike which is basically enough to get some ride impressions.

 


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